An adult can live without food for several weeks but only two or three days without water. Water gives life, and we rely on a continuous source of it to stay healthy. Without a reliable source of water, life becomes unstable. When food production, sanitation, health, education, drinking, animal husbandry, etc. are threatened due to water scarcity, conflict often arises.
Water is vital to sustaining life, and in many areas of the world clean, safe water is scarce. This makes water a precious resource and one that offers power to those who possess it. Competing demands for this limited source is the main reason for water-related conflict. According to a 1996 NATO/CCMS study, “Water shortage is generally seen as the environmental problem most likely to lead to violent conflict.” Since water is necessary for so many activities, water management strategies must navigate among several, often competing, interests. Water scarcity within a country that depends heavily on agriculture for its economy can cause political instability and internal strife. Some have found that private ownership of water systems significantly raises prices, putting water out of reach for the poor who need it most. This unequal distribution of resources can increase conflicts within a country. Rural people who lack a stable water supply may migrate to urban areas where services are closer, leading to overcrowding and stress on already limited resources.
The interests within a nation or community are sometimes at odds with the interests of the surrounding international community, greatly complicating the solution of effective and just resource distribution. International water basins that include political boundaries of two or more countries cover more than 45 percent of the world’s surface, host 40 percent of the world’s population, and account for 60 percent of river flow.12 Ninety percent of all usable water in the Middle East and Northern Africa crosses at least one international boundary.13 The number of shared water sources and rivers combined with water scarcity has lead many government officials to call for “water wars.” Former World Bank vice president, Ismali Serageldin, stated, “the wars of the next century will be about water.”‡
The presence of accessible safe water is important in preventing conflict and taking care of people in the midst of violent conflict. Lifewater International helps people have access to safe, clean water. Lifewater’s participatory approach to water development and health helps communities learn to work together. By insisting on widespread participation in gaining access to water, Lifewater helps lay a foundation for cooperation and the fair distribution of shared resources. With the right technology and social cooperation, scarcity of water does not have to lead to conflict.
‡ Food & Water Watch, Dried Up, Sold Out: How the World Bank’s Push for Private Water Harms the Poor, March 2009.
